


The Swiss Headquarters

by mothraa



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Drama & Romance, Emotional Manipulation, Eventual Sex, It's going to be an emotional roller coaster, M/M, Post-Fall of Overwatch, Pre-Fall of Overwatch, Slow Burn, Unrequited Love, You've been warned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-12-15 18:51:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11812098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mothraa/pseuds/mothraa
Summary: Overwatch has made peace, but Jack and Gabriel have their own unresolved issues. Finally catching a break from duty, they visit the Swiss base for some rest in the caring hands of the good doctor Angela Ziegler. But as their stay draws on, they stumble upon more than either of them bargained for.





	1. Reunion

"I'm worried about Angela."

Ana stirred her tea pensively, staring out the window into the yard below. "She seems...distant, since what happened with Jack and Gabriel."

Reinhardt nodded, his brow furrowed in grief, "I feel she blames herself, for what happened to Gabriel. She could not save him."

"No," Ana said, watching from above as Angela and Lena chatted on the grounds outside. "I do not think...that's it."

* * *

-Two Weeks Prior- 

"Thank's for making accommodations for us on such short notice, Angela. Your facility is in as impeccable condition as ever." Jack smiled and shook her hand, taking his duffle bag from his shoulder. "It'll be nice to catch a few nights of solid rest."

"The pleasure is mine, Jack. I haven't seen your face in several months. Now, I'm sure we'll have time to catch up later, but I have some pressing matters I need to attend to, so I'm afraid I'll just have to show you your room for now." Angela said, smiling back.

"Excellent, thank you." Jack replied.

Angela turned, gesturing down the hall. "It'll be right this way, gentlemen."

She started walking, and Jack picked up his things to follow her, turning towards his travel companion. "You coming, Reyes?"

Gabriel still stood silently in the open doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed, the picture of moody. "Yup. I'm coming."

Jack opened his mouth to say more, but Angela peeked back around the corner. "I do have to make this quick I'm afraid, can we move this conversation down the hall?"

"Of course, sorry to keep you waiting." Jack gave Gabriel a look, than turned to follow her, Gabriel waiting a moment more before slowly following suit.

"Alright, right through here is the bunk room. Sorry it's such close quarters, but you'll find it's nice and cozy. Bathroom is just across the way, and the showers are at the end of the hall to the right. Come by my office later and I can get you each a key to your locker for your personal things. Again, sorry I can't catch up _just yet_ , hopefully we can all talk at length soon." She opened the bunk room door for them, flicking on the light switch. "Until then, it's best you get your rest. Doctor's orders." And with that she smiled and winked, turning to leave.

"G'night Dr. Ziegler." Gabriel called, throwing his bag on one of the top bunks. Jack closed the door behind them, choosing a bunk for himself and sitting down on it. The room was definitely small, but not at all cramped. While not meant to hold a large team, there were enough bunks for twelve, and each bunk came with its own nightstand and footlocker while still leaving enough room to maneuver freely about the space. Jack yawned and stretched, his joints sore from the long flight over. 

"Flights like that never get easier. I must be getting old."

Gabriel shrugged in response. "Mhmm. 

Silence fell again. Jack absently rubbed his sore shoulder muscle. "You been pretty busy these days, huh?"

"Sure." The word was empty, and as Jack turned his attention back to Gabriel, he found no more warmth in his companion's blank stare. 

"Alright, enough. What's gotten into you? We haven't seen each other in well over a year and I don't even get a 'hi, hello'? No texts, no letters, not to mention out of no where all of Blackwatch gives me the stink eye when I walk by. I don't like being toyed with, Gabe."

Gabriel grunted, hoisting himself onto his bunk. "Hard to keep contact when your running a covert opps group. You know, cuz it's covert."

"Cut the shit, that never stopped you before." Jack snapped.

"Feeling put out, strike commander? Not used to not getting your way?"

"Is." Jack stopped, a flicker of rage growing. "Is that what you think this is about?"

"All I know is the people who run things at Overwatch have been acting pretty fucking fishy ever since we declared peace. And your promotion?" Gabriel wrinkled up his nose in disgust, "Well, that just reeks."

"Hey, I didn't ask for this promotion."

Gabriel picked at a sticker left by the bunk's last resident. "Well you sure as hell haven't been asking many questions at all, _Morrison_."

"You honest to God haven't talked to me--for _months_ , mind you--cuz you were jealous over a promotion?" 

Gabe rolled his eyes, "Let's be real here, country boy. You're everything the public wants. Your handsome, _blonde_ , willing to kiss a few babies, good at making people feel good about themselves, and not likely to question things when shit starts to smell. Me, I do the Overwatch dirty work, and I take in all the kids the whole world has kicked to shit. So what if I'm more qualified, more experienced, and have more passion for my job than you ever will? We want our apple pie boy from Indiana."

Jack went silent, his brow creased deeply. He stood, walking to the door, and after a long pause, he finally spoke, "I never was one for politics, and what you say may very well be true. But you're wrong about just one thing."

Gabe turned, glowering down at him. "And what's that?"

"I have more than enough passion for this job, and I would do anything for my team, Gabe. That still includes you." And with that, he walked quietly out, leaving Gabriel to sit with his thoughts.

The rest of the evening passed by without much more said between the two. Gabriel made a few calls, checking in on his teams to see how their own missions had wrapped up. Jack soon retired back to the bunk room, his mind still spinning cartwheels as he second guessed many of the things he'd experienced these past months. He slept restlessly, waking early in the morning to find Gabriel's bed still empty.

Getting up and dressing, Jack exited the bunk room, scanning up and down the hall. Faintly, he could hear the shower going from down at the hall's end. Walking towards the source of the noise, he opened the door of the shower room, steam spilling from the room within.

"You in there Reyes?" Jack called from the door.

Sure enough, Gabriel's face peeked out from behind one of the walls. "Yeah, little busy here. I'll be out in a minute."

Jack nodded, closing the door. He wanted to clear the air now, but it could wait a few more minutes. Going down a flight of stairs, he made his way to the cafeteria, saying hello to some of the staff as he passed by. Finding a table by a window, he sat himself down, looking out over the bright snow of the mountain range the base was nestled into. Shortly after, Gabriel entered fully clothed with a towel still draped over his head.

"Shower's all yours, strike commander."

"Were you up all night?" Jack asked.

Dark rings hung around Gabriel's eyes, but than again, he always looked like he'd been up for days. "Yeah. It's...way too quiet. The snow dampens all the noise, and you don't snore. I'm used to my team, and you should hear that boy McCree. Jesus that kid can snore up a storm."

Jack laughed, almost forgetting that they had just fought. Almost. "Listen...Gabe, about last night..."

Gabe held up his hand, silencing the rest of his sentence. "I've been holding that in for a long time now, Jack. I'm sorry I didn't communicate my feelings about it to you sooner. There's a lot more to talk about, and you could use plenty more wake-up calls but..." He sat down across the table from Jack, pulling the towel off his head. "I...ah jeez this is gonna sound fucking corny..."

Jack chuckled, "Hey I'm the one from Indiana remember? I can handle a little bit of corn."

Gabriel let his face fall into his hands. "You know what I take it back, I can't, I can't talk to you if you're going to make jokes like that." He groaned, running his hands over his hair. "I just wanted to say I missed you, even if you are a clueless, insufferable prick."

Jack laughed hardily, "It's good to see you again too, sunshine."

Gabriel coughed, looking away. There was still more than enough animosity between them, but they had a few more days ahead, and maybe they could work out what had gotten screwed up between them. Maybe...

"Remember when you kissed me two New Year's ago?" Gabriel asked suddenly.

The question caught Jack by surprise, and he blinked, a bit flustered. "I was...I think I drank almost two whole bottles of champagne."

"But did you mean it?"

Jack blinked, staring at the man in front of him. Before this year, he'd been Jack's very best friend. They'd fought together, and fought /for/ each other, saving each other's lives more than a dozen times. They'd snuck out of the base in California to visit Gabriel's abuela together, and gotten caught by Torbjörn trying to sneak up on Ana with silly string on her birthday. They'd been inseparable. Of course they disagreed on things, but they always seemed to be able to find common ground. The New Year's Jack kissed Gabe, he had been very intoxicated. But...

"I think I did." Jack finally replied, looking down at his hands. "You had been dancing all night, and your tie had come undone. I was thinking about how nice you looked in a suit, and I went to fix your tie. I remember, I think, you pulled me closer by the waist, you wanted me to dance with you."

"I remember that, I think." Gabriel said. "I was more than a little buzzed myself."

They had been outside on the balcony, and the winter air had begun to bite. Gabriel had been so warm. Jack had fumbled the tie more than a few times, tying a knot then undoing it to retie it again. He was concentrating hard on the tie, leaning in close as he did and giggling and Gabriel made jokes about his skill at bow-tying. He'd looked up, suddenly realizing his closeness, their faces inches apart. ' _I'll kiss him quickly,'_ Jack had thought. _'It'll be funny, we'll laugh about it._ ' So he'd kissed him, then found, as the clock struck twelve, that he couldn't _stop_ kissing him. Gabe's hands had found their way into Jack's hair, and Jack held to Gabriel's collar like his life depended on it. When the kiss broke, they stared into each other's eyes, breath clouding in the cold January air.

"I wanted to kiss you again right after." Jack said quietly. "But you ran off, and the next morning I was deployed halfway across the globe."

Gabriel sat silently, turning his thoughts over. He stood, sniffing, and looked across the cafeteria. "We should eat breakfast, or would it be brunch at this point? I think they have bagels, want me to grab you one?"

Jack nodded blankly, a bit shell-shocked by the sudden change in conversation.

 _Then again,_ Jack thought, _It has been over a year. Many things have changed between us._


	2. A Friend In Need

After breakfast was had and they parted ways, Gabriel wandered the base, looking for Angela's office. It was a large facility, and unfortunately had little in the way of a map or directions.

As he searched, he mulled over what Jack had said.

_"I wanted to kiss you again right after..."_

Over a year ago, Gabriel would have melted upon hearing those words. Jack was his most trusted and closest companion, and he would have done anything for him. But after Jack was promoted, something changed about him. He was suddenly thrown into a world of politics he had no business in, and if that wasn't reason enough to be suspicious, Overwatch started to take a trip south. Scandals kept popping up, and with more and more illegal activity being uncovered to be Overwatch involvement, Gabriel began wondering who was really pulling the strings. When he brought his concerns to Jack, the man he'd invested so much in, put his entire trust in, he was dismissed.

_"It's just the media causing a ruckus, if we had teams causing trouble I'd hear about it."_

Soon though, Gabriel began finding documents and whispers claiming Blackwatch was the one corrupting Overwatch from the inside. _So it's come to this,_  he'd thought, _they're looking for a scapegoat._

Again, he came to Jack, appealing to him with the evidence he'd found. " _I'll look into it,"_ Jack had said.

His inaction lit a flame of deep rage inside Gabriel. How could Jack blindly carry on while everything crumbled around him? Not knowing where else to turn, he confided his grief and anger with Dr. Ziegler, hoping perhaps he was being too hard on him--that he wasn't being patient enough.

 _"Do you love him?"_ she had asked.

 _"I do, or at least."_ he had paused. _"I thought I did."_

 _"Well,"_ she had said, _"you know he only took that job because he thought you were unworthy."_

_"What?"_

He could have sworn he'd seen a gleam in her eye. But no, he must have imagined it.

_"He clearly doesn't think you understand what it takes to be in his position. That's why he won't consider your concerns."_

_"You really think so?"_

_"Please, Gabriel,"_ she had smiled. _"I know so."_

That had been his breaking point. From then on, he could not bare to speak or even look at Morrison, taking missions in far flung locations and observing strict radio silence. Jack had deeply betrayed his trust. Gabriel's heart had never ached so much.

And yet...

Seeing him now after all this time, a dam had broke inside of Gabriel. Jack had seemed shocked when he had fought with him yesterday, and seemed broken when he'd told him his hurts. He had cared, after all this time, enough to make a point of apologizing to him. It was like old times, just him and Jack.

He was confused, and at war with himself. His anger still flickered within him, reminding him of the injustices he kept having to face. But now, he wondered if he could forgive Jack, if Jack had changed for the better.

He needed to talk to Dr. Ziegler.

Rounding a corner, he found what he was looking for; a door with a gold plate mounted outside, engraved with _Dr. Angela Ziegler_. He knocked and waited...and waited. Knocking a second time elicited the same reaction. Sighing, he turned the handle and let the door swing open, to find Angela turned away from him, on the phone.

"You can't cut my funding, I'm on the edge of a medical breakthrough! I won't allow it! You don't know what it is you're doing." Her shouting escalated before she slammed the phone onto the receiver, racking her fingers through her hair and looking very disheveled. She spun around in her chair, her eyes wild, having not heard Gabriel come in. Instantly, she straitened up, her demeanor changing completely as she smiled sheepishly and tidied the paper on her desk.

"Ah, my apologies Gabriel, I'm sorry you had to see me under such stress. Now, what can I help you with?"

Gabriel swallowed, his mouth having gone completely dry. Angela was far more composed now, but her eyes...they were still sharp. Predatory.

He swallowed again, "Oh, nothing..ah, nothing much just came to grab the locker keys."

"Of course." pulling a drawer open from her desk, she fumbled about, finally retrieving a pair of small keys. "Number on the key matches the locker number. Anything else I can assist you with?"

"That's all." Gabriel forced himself to smile, taking the keys from her and stepping backwards to the door, never breaking eye contact. "You take care now."

"Oh no, _you_ take care, Gabriel."

Closing the door on his way out, he quickly walked back around the corner, heaving a sigh of relief.

_What the fuck was that what the fuck was that what the fuck was that...?_

He had seen Dr. Ziegler under great stress before, of course. There was many times where she was on the battlefield with him, hauling the injured to safety and treating their wounds, bringing men and women back from the brink of death. He had seen her break down before.

 _"If only I could bring them all back,"_ she had sobbed.

He had seen her fighting back waves of omnics, fire in her eyes as she protected small school children caught in the thick of battle.

Nothing could compare to what he had seen in that room.

He shook it off, rubbing the back of his neck and heading back the way he'd came. Now he had even more questions, and even fewer answers.

Gabriel sighed. His peaceful week off duty was beginning to take a sour turn.


	3. The Truth

Jack shifted in his seat, trying to concentrate on the book he was reading. His conversation with Gabriel still played like a broken record in his mind. Had he made him uncomfortable? Or was their relationship more damaged than he knew?

Then there was this whole strike commmander promotion bullshit. He thought about all the files Gabriel had brought to his attention. How he'd had them on his desk for weeks without being able to touch them with how much he was running in circles trying to please everyone.

_Maybe they were trying to keep me running in circles_. Jack gave up on his book, tucking it into the inner pocket of his jacket. _Like a human hamster._

Getting up, he decided a walk might help clear his thoughts. He wanted to talk to Gabriel again, but it was probably best not to bother him any further today. Walking back past the bunk room, he took a new route, letting his feet lead him without paying much attention.

He wondered if he still had those documents in his office. Most of the faculty at his base would be busy at this time, but if he remembered correctly, Ana was taking her own break from duty there. It wouldn't hurt to give her a ring.

"Hey, I know I said I wouldn't bother you unless it was an emergency, but--"

"I figured you'd call. I'm not fixing your sink again Jack, you need to call a proper plummer this time."

"N-no this is something else, actually. I was hoping you could do this...discreetly."

"Ah? I'm listening."

He filled her in on the nature of the documents, telling her where he'd stashed them while he was away. She found them easy enough, but she had fallen silent.

"Amari, is someone there? Are you alright?" he whispered, stopping in his tracks.

"Hush, it's nothing like that. But Jack, what these documents say...This is really quite serious. This could mean the end of Overwatch as we know it."

Jack let out the breath he was holding in. "I need you to send them over to me, if you can. Send them to the airship's data center. And thank you, Amari, this means a lot."

He hung up, looking around to see where he'd wandered to. All the corridors looked unfamiliar. Turning around, he started back the way he'd come, making turns at random as he tried to find a familiar landmark. Walking down a long hall, he stumbled upon an open door, finding a laundry room inside. Hoping to find some staff that could point him in the right direction, he stepped inside, pushing aside a laundry cart filled with dirty scrubs. Industral washing machines lined the wall, most of them running, but none being loaded currently. However, just as Jack turned to leave, a staff member entered from the back room, pushing a laundry bin with what looked to be a pile of red scrubs. Not seeing Jack, they headed over to an empty machine, beginning to toss the scrubs in while wearing a pair of large rubber gloves.

Jack walked over, clearing his throat.

"Sorry to bother you, I was just hoping..."

The staff member jumped a little, startled by the intrusion. They clutched their chest, a red stain coming away as the glove touched the fabric of their shirt. Jack's eyebrows knitted, looking again at the pile of red scrubs. They weren't all red, now that he was closer. They were green. The red was just...

Jack took a step back, paling a bit. He'd seen enough blood not to be shocked by the sight, but it never ceased to repulse him.

"I was just hoping you just point me in the right direction." he finally finished, taking another step backwards.

The staff member looked confused, shaking their head before speaking.

"I..Ich verstehe nicht..."

"Sorry I don't...I don't speak Swiss--er--German." Jack replied

"Entschuldigen," they shook their head again, "Ich spreche kein Englisch."

Apologizing once again, Jack retreated, closing the laundry room door behind him as he left. Still deeply unsettled, he kept on walking, trying to find his way back. He turned a few more corners, walking up a staircase to the second floor. Had he gone down a staircase? He couldn't remember. Everything looked the same. 

"Well Jack, you've gotten yourself well and truly turned the fuck around," he muttered, his discomfort turning to frustration.

"Jack?"

He whirled around to face the familiar voice.

"What on earth are you doing in the medical wing? Have you gotten lost?" Angela asked, a look of concern on her face. "What happened? You look pale as a ghost!"

Jack smiled, relieved. "I'm just a bit lost."

Angela laughed lightly, smiling back warmly "Well let's get you back where you belong, yes?" Looping her arm around Jack's, she led him down the hall, standing very close to his side.

"You have quite a large facility. How do you manage?" Jack mused, looking out the windows they passed.

"It's just careful planning, and it helps to have such a wonderful staff. I could hardly get anything done without them."

"Yes." Jack said. "It helps to have people you can trust by your side." He thought of Gabriel. He hoped he could set things right between them.

Angela beamed, squeezing Jack's arm gently. "I'm sure. But enough about me, what about you? How are you settling into your big role as the head of Overwatch? I'm sure that is much larger than what I have to deal with."

"I don't know," he paused, thinking hard. "I used to think I could use Overwatch to change the world, and we have done many great things. But these past few years...I just feel like a glittery figurehead, walking around in circles."

"Don't sound so down on yourself. You may walk around in circles sometimes, but there will always be a light to guide you out of the woods. And look," she turned, pointing to a sign marked 'Medical Wing'. "We've made it through the trees. It's not much farther from here."

Jack turned, looking back at the medical wing. "Tell me, Angela, what exactly do you use this wing for? Do you treat patients here?" He thought of the blood soaked scrubs, his expression darkening.

Angela studied his face carefully. "No...it is more of a lab, really. I develop methods and technologies here. Bit of experimentation and refinement is all."

Jack nodded, forcing a smile. "Just curious."

Angela patted his arm, walking with him down a flight of stairs. "Yes...aren't we all?"


End file.
